DAT, high density and much more

Constant improvements in computer systems specifications have placed growing demands on secondary storage solutions in the past, and will continue to do so in the future. In recent years the computer industry has often turned to the consumer market to provide innovative new technologies, e.g. The 8 mm video recorder and the Compact Disc. The latest convert has been the adoption of DAT (Digital Audio Tape) drives. This relatively new technology was developed for high quality digital recording. As such it provides reliability and costs advantages over machines originally intended to store analogue signals. However, simple adaption of audio mechanisms is not sufficient as the usage models for audio and data storage are quite different. Additional hardware and algorithms have to be applied to achieve the desired levels of data reliability